Secrets Held Firm

Stillness Gathers

Sun cutting through grey clouds, blinding
Winds gust, cold from the north, biting
Leaves rustle, twirl and blow, frantically
Searching for a place to call home, shelter

Head bent low I follow the twisting steep lane
Click, clack footfall on smooth, worn cobbles
Legs pumping, straining like a steam engine
Puffing with every turn, every clicking step

Respite in a weathered inn, steps worn and aged
Shinning like glass and dark as the looming sky
Wearied mind and body at rest, time to ponder
Tick, tock, tick, tock, time rushes on, light fades

Black rain obscuring sunshine, drenching
Cut glass panes magnifying vision, blurring
Wind blowing, branches screeching, protesting
Darkness creeps in, blotting out day, twilight

Lamplight throws shadows, exposing the past
Stone floor slabs twinkle in ebony blackness
Gaps between capturing dreams and desires
Locked away, protected, hidden from the light

Crooked beams, aged with time, with toil, fatigued
Groaning joints moan with times weight, weary
Darkened by smoke, hands and sweat, dulled
Secrets held firm in cracks and seams, yearning

Ghostly voices reaching forth, longing for freedom
I sit silently and listen, their whispered tales of loss
Mournful in their cries, singing sadly to themselves
All their grief, all their pain raging forth all around

Centuries of memories released from cracks, escaping
Raw emotions shriek, lightning strikes sound, flashing
Tears flow through the neglected thatch roof, pooling
Glistening in firelight, torments unleashed, flickering

Winds die down, rain eases, pain and anger at rest
Storms made their mark, allowing the rage to pass
Flames leap forth in their joyous dance of pleasure
Happy memories pour forth, glowing and crackling

Visions of togetherness, of loneliness, joining
Smoke swirls, entwined becoming one, fading
Sweet smells, their legacy of euphoria, lingers
Washing over me and through me, serenity

Contentment holds me, calm descends throughout
Listening to their tales, easing heart, mind and soul
Joy living in harmony with pain, scars softened by time
Stillness gathers round, wrapping me tight and warm

© Shawn D. Standfast, 2013. All Rights reserved

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